


Waiting with Wyverns

by di93



Series: Inquisitorial Enigma [18]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dorian was scared, Dragon Age Quest: Bring Me the Heart of Snow White, Everyone Needs Hugs, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 09:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10303679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/di93/pseuds/di93
Summary: Dorian is forced to stay behind at Skyhold while Kaaras goes to help Vivienne slay some beast for an unknown reason. Needless to say, Dorian is unhappy.





	

“Do try to stay out of the fray, Amatus. Vivienne’s front-loaded barriers will only protect you from so much, and you won’t be able to rely on my ice walls covering your flank.” 

“I know, Dorian,” Kaaras replied with a small smile. How marvelous it was to have someone worrying for him. His chest felt just as warm as the back of his neck even as Dorian frowned up at him. “It’ll be alright. I’ll be back soon.” 

“Yes, well. Just do try not to get yourself killed. I would notice you were gone,” Dorian replied, still frowning, but Kaaras beamed back down at him. 

“I’ll miss you too.” 

Dorian scoffed and rolled his eyes before shooing the Inquisitor away, knowing that the rest of his party was already waiting for him at the gates, ready to head off into the Plains in order to hunt down a snowy wyvern. The reason why the man had to go hunt down the creature was a mystery since Kaaras hadn’t bothered to ask the First Enchanter, and there was no chance the Iron Lady would tell Dorian. So, Dorian was left watching from his window as Kaaras, Varric, Vivienne and Blackwall left Skyhold for a presumably important but still unknown reason. 

The entire venture was expected to take two weeks at most—though Dorian allowed for three given Kaaras’s penchant to help every struggling refugee or wounded animal that happened across his path—so it wasn’t until half way through the fourth week that the necromancer could no longer conceal his restlessness. 

It takes another full day of uselessly staring out the window at the gates before he breaks down and asks Leliana if there have been any reports at all. Unfortunately, she’d said, the last report they had received was two weeks before, just saying that a camp had been successfully established in Ghilan’nain’s Grove thanks to the Inquisitor and his companions clearing out the gurguts in the area, and they were ready to head into the grove in search of Vivienne’s prey. 

So Dorian took to anxiously pacing the private library in the depths of Skyhold. 

It was another day and a half before one of Leliana’s runners burst into the lower library, looking like the devil itself was at his heels as he handed Dorian a letter and then sprinted off. 

A wave of nausea rolled through Dorian as he stared at the door after the runner, terrified of what the letter might read. 

As it turned out, his fear was for naught. Mostly. 

 

 _Nightingale,_  

 _The Inquisitor and his party encountered another high dragon—_  

 

Dorian had to sit in the cobweb-covered chair before his knees gave out. _Maker, please don’t do this to me._  

 

 _—for_ _which they were underprepared after felling a snowy wyvern, closing three rifts and tak_ _ing care of a group of Templars—_  

 

If for nothing else, Dorian was glad to be alone, because if he found out that Kaaras had… If that ridiculous, reckless, beautiful man had— _Maker, please, please don’t let it be now._  

 

 _They survived the fight, however they did sustain_ _serious_ _injuries. Even so, the camp’s healer believes they shall be ready to make way back to Skyhold in two day’_ _s time—_  

 

Dorian’s first thought was that he might cry from sheer relief. His second was that he would turn that runner into an ice sculpture centerpiece in the middle of Skyhold’s courtyard. 

 

 _The Inquisitor requested that the enclosed letter be delivered to Ser Pavus directly._  

 _-Baker_  

 

Dorian’s hands were still trembling just slightly as he opened the sealed envelope, and absently wondered to himself if the spymaster had actually left it unread. 

 

 _Dorian,_  

 _I love you._ _I’m sorry. I promise I’m safe. All of us are. I’ll be back soon, and I promise to take at least a whole day with you once I am. If we spend the whole day lying in bed or if you spend it yelling at me is up to you. Either way, I can hardly wait to see you again. The healer says I’ll be ready to leave in two days, but it’s already been far too long since I saw you. We’re headed out in the morning. Don’t tell_ _L_ _._  

 _Yours,_  

 _K_  

 

He nearly sobbed with relief even as he felt torn between wanting to set the man aflame and kiss him breathless for making him worry so. Certainly, that was the last time he would let Kaaras leave without him. “Three mages on a team of four is too much” Andraste’s flaming ass. The man was the world’s only hope at survival, and by the Maker, he could take along a fifth person when facing down a blighted dragon. 

Dorian would just smuggle himself onto a supply caravan next time. 

Three days later, shouts from Skyhold’s gates drifted through the window in the library, making Dorian sigh with relief as he saw Kaaras and his party crossing the bridge. But then he frowned and turned back to his book, decidedly ignoring the fact that he was acting like a petulant child.  

The man deserved to be given the cold shoulder for a while. No matter how much Dorian wanted to see him, Kaaras had given him quite a fright. Again.  

However, he didn’t have much change to avoid the man since Kaaras appeared at the front of his alcove not ten minutes later, still in full armor. 

Still upset, Dorian just flipped another page of his book, not bothering to look up.  

Kaaras stood there silently for several long moments, shifting occasionally as if unsure if being ignored was a sign that he should leave of if he was supposed to just endure it, but finally he spoke up quietly. 

“I’m sorry, Dorian. If you want to be alone, I understand,” he said, standing silently for another moment. But just as he was about to turn to go, Dorian finally looked up.  

“What I want to do is freeze you over myself. But as you’re the one holy hope for Thedas, that’s not an option. Not that you seem to think about that as you run head first towards a dragon.” 

Kaaras cringed but didn’t say anything, prepared to be yelled at all day if necessary. “How did the decision to keep fighting go, exactly? ‘Oh, look! Terrible danger seems to be in that direction! Let’s see how many ways we can be dismembered!’” Dorian spat before standing, tossing throwing his book down and glaring up at the man. “Clearly you enjoy almost dying since you do it so often. ‘The odds of facing off against Corypheus and his pet and surviving is only three-to-one? Well, that’s far to easy! Let’s throw in a few more dragons and concussions as well, just to make sure that we definitely don’t survive.’ 

“You know, if I didn’t see you close the breach yourself, I’d to wonder if you’re purposefully trying to do Corypheus’s job for him by getting yourself killed.” 

Finally, Dorian stopped and just glared up at the man, noticing that Kaaras’s hands kept flexing at his sides, as he tried to keep himself from reaching out to the angry mage. 

“I’m sorry. I was so afraid I wouldn’t ever see you again. By the time we noticed the dragon, it had already cut off our escape.” 

“Oh? I find that a bit difficult to believe. How is it, exactly, that no one managed to notice a blighted dragon among all the other flora and fauna? Were the wyverns dragon-sized? Were there statues there of the same size so you couldn’t tell which dragon was real? Perhaps some thundering waterfalls to drown out its calls?” 

“No, we heard it and knew it was around, but I thought we would be able to get the wyvern and get out before we had to deal with it.” 

“And you didn’t think preparing just in case would be a good idea?” Dorian knew he was making a scene, shouting at the inquisitor in the library in the middle of the day, but he didn’t care in the slightest. He was angry. He was hurt. He was scared. And he was glad to see the Inquisitor looking down with his shoulders hunched, regretting what he’d done. Good. He should.  

“I know. I should have. I put everyone at risk unnecessarily. I just,” he started but then cut himself off, giving a little shake of his head. “We should have gone back.” 

“Oh no, I want to hear this. What reason did you possibly have to want to push on like a fool?” 

Kaaras hunched over even more, not saying anything for a moment, but then he looked up at Dorian again and smiled just a little. 

“It would have delayed our return by another two days, at least, if we went back to camp. I missed you.” 

Dorian frowned more to try to smother the warmth spreading in his chest. He was angry, damnit! He was angry and with good reason and was supposed to be yelling at the reckless idiot, not itching to kiss him silly. 

“Instead, I made you worry and ended up delaying our return even more. I’m sorry, Dorian.” 

Dorian continued frowning and glaring even as he felt his heart melt. 

“Returning before you’re fully healed doesn’t make me worry any less either. Go clean up,” Dorian finally replied, satisfied that his voice still sounded adequately upset. Kaaras nodded, a little dejected – Good. Maybe next time he won’t be so reckless – but he still forced a strained smile. 

“Okay. I am sorry for worrying you, Dorian. I’ll be in my room. I love you.” 

Then Kaaras headed back down the stairs, leaving muddy footprints in his wake. 

Dorian stared after him, still glaring.  

 _Festis bei umo canavarum_. 


End file.
